• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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• v.513 no.4
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• pp.5606-5610
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• 2022

Mass-loss of massive helium stars is not well understood even though it plays an essential role in determining their remnant neutron-star or black hole masses as well as ejecta mass of Type Ibc supernovae (SNe Ibc). Radio emission from SNe Ibc is strongly affected by circumstellar matter properties formed by mass-loss of their massive helium star progenitors. In this study, we estimate the rise time and peak luminosity distributions of SNe Ibc in radio based on a few massive helium star mass-loss prescriptions and compare them with the observed distribution to constrain the uncertain massive helium star mass-loss rates. We find that massive helium stars in the luminosity range expected for ordinary SNe Ibc progenitors (4.6≲log L/L_⊙≲5.2) should generally have large mass-loss rates (≳10^-6M_⊙yr^-1) in order to account for the observed rise time and peak luminosity distribution. Therefore, mass-loss prescriptions that predict significantly low mass-loss rates for helium stars in this luminosity range is inconsistent with the SN radio observations. It is also possible that massive helium stars shortly before their explosion generally undergo mass-loss enhancement in a different way from the standard radiation-driven wind mechanism.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.93-96
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• 2012

There are observational difficulties determining dynamical masses of binary star components in the upper HR diagram both due to the scarcity of massive binary systems and spectral and photometric contamination produced by the strong wind outflows in these systems. We discuss how variable X-ray emission in these systems produced by wind-wind collisions in massive binaries can be used to constrain the system parameters, with application to two important massive binaries, Eta Carinae and WR 140.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.37-48
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• 2018

Massive stars blow powerful stellar winds throughout their evolutionary stages from the main sequence to Wolf-Rayet phases. The amount of mechanical energy deposited in the interstellar medium by the wind from a massive star can be comparable to the explosion energy of a core-collapse supernova that detonates at the end of its life. In this study, we estimate the kinetic energy deposition by massive stars in our Galaxy by considering the integrated Galactic initial mass function and modeling the stellar wind luminosity. The mass loss rate and terminal velocity of stellar winds during the main sequence, red supergiant, and Wolf-Rayet stages are estimated by adopting theoretical calculations and observational data published in the literature. We find that the total stellar wind luminosity due to all massive stars in the Galaxy is about ${\mathcal{L}}_w{\approx}1.1{\times}10^{41}erg\;s^{-1}$, which is about 1/4 of the power of supernova explosions, ${\mathcal{L}}_{SN}{\approx}4.8{\times}10^{41}erg\;s^{-1}$. If we assume that ~ 1 - 10 % of the wind luminosity could be converted to Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) through collisonless shocks such as termination shocks in stellar bubbles and superbubbles, colliding-wind shocks in binaries, and bow-shocks of massive runaway stars, stellar winds might be expected to make a significant contribution to GCR production, though lower than that of supernova remnants.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.30-38
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• 1985

We derived initial mass functions (IMF) of massive stars in three different regions of spiral arms within 2.5kpc from the sun. The derived IMF slope $\beta$ of Local arm stars is found to be $-2.09{\sim}-2.06$, very close to that of Bisiacchi et al. (1983). For Sagittarius-Carina arm stars $\beta$ ranges from -1.77 to - 1.72 which is close to that of overall stars given by Germany et al. (1982). Possible causes inducing the regional difference in IMFs are discussed.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.67.3-67.3
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• 2019

Massive stars play an important role in terms of their feedback, but their formation process is poorly understood. Direct observational evidence for the formation of massive stars through accretion disks is rare. Hence the detection of disks in massive young stellar objects (MYSOs), if any, could be important to constrain the formation process of massive stars. The inner gaseous disk can be observed by the high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy. We observed a MYSO, Min 2-62, using IGRINS and detected a double peak feature, which could be an evidence of a rotating disk, in the Bracket and Pfund series lines. We report the preliminary observational results of Min 2-62 with IGRINS.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.44.1-44.1
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• 2016

The Sagittarius-Carina spiral arm in the Galaxy contains several massive young open clusters. We present a deep optical photometric study on the massive young open clusters in the Sagittarius-Carina arm, Westerlund 2 and the young open clusters in the ${\eta}$ Carina nebula. Westerlund 2 is a less studied starburst-type cluster in the Galaxy. An abnormal reddening law for the intracluster medium of the young starburst-type cluster Westerlund 2 is determined to be $R_{V,cl}=4.14{\pm}0.08$. The distance modulus is determined from zero-age main-sequence fitting to the reddening-corrected color-magnitude diagrams of the early-type members to be $V_0-M_V=13.9{\pm}0.14mag$. The pre-main sequence (PMS) members of Westerlund 2 are selected by identifying the optical counterparts of X-ray emission sources from the Chandra X-ray observation and mid-infrared emission sources from the Spitzer/IRAC (the Infrared Array Camera) observation. The initial mass function (IMF) shows a slightly flat slope of ${\Gamma}=-1.1{\pm}0.1$ down to $5M_{\odot}$. The age of Westerlund 2 is estimated to be. 1.5 Myr from the main-sequence turn-on luminosity and the age distribution of PMS stars. The ${\eta}$ Carina nebula is the best laboratory for the investigation of the Galactic massive stars and low-mass star formation under the influence of numerous massive stars. We have performed deep wide-field CCD photometry of stars in the ${\eta}$ Carina nebula to determine the reddening law, distance, and the IMF of the clusters in the nebula. We present VRI and $H{\alpha}$ photometry of 130,571 stars from the images obtained with the 4m telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO). RV,cl in the η Carina nebula gradually decreases from the southern part (~4.5, around Trumpler 14 and Trumpler 16) to the northern part around Trumpler 15 (~3.5). Distance to the young open clusters in the ${\eta}$ Carina nebula is partly revised based on the zero-age main-sequence fitting to the reddening-corrected color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) and the (semi-) reddening-independent CMDs. We select the PMS members and candidates by identifying the optical counterparts of X-ray sources from the Chandra Carina Complex Survey and mid-infrared excess emission stars from the Spitzer Vela-Carina survey. From the evolutionary stage of massive stars and PMS stars, we obtain that the northern young open cluster Trumpler 15 is distinctively older than the southern young open clusters, Trumpler 14 (${\leq}2.5 Myr$) and Trumpler 16 (2.5-3.5 Myr). The slopes of the IMF of Trumpler 14, Trumpler 15, and Trumpler 16 are determined to be $-1.2{\pm}0.1$, $-1.5{\pm}0.3$, and $-1.1{\pm}0.1$, respectively. Based on the RV,cl of several young open clusters determined in this work and the previous studies of our group, We suggest that higher RV,cl values are commonly found for very young open clusters with the age of < 4 Myr. We also confirm the correlation between the slope of the IMF and the surface mass density of massive stars.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.93-97
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• 2015

How high-mass stars form is currently unclear. Calculations suggest that the radiation pressure of a forming star can halt spherical infall, preventing further growth when it reaches $10M_{\odot}$. Two major theoretical models on the further growth of stellar mass have been proposed. One model suggests the merging of less massive stellar objects, and the other is through accretion, but with the help of a disk. Inflow motions are key evidence for how forming stars gain further mass to build up massive stars. Recent developments in technology have boosted the search for inflow motion. A number of high-mass collapse candidates were obtained with single dish observations, and mostly showed blue profiles. Infalling signatures seem to be more common in regions which have developed radiation pressure than in younger cores, which is the opposite of the theoretical prediction and is also very different from observations of low mass star formation. Interferometer studies so far confirm this tendency with more obvious blue profiles or inverse P Cygni profiles. Results seem to favor the accretion model. However, the evolution of the infall motion in massive star forming cores needs to be further explored. Direct evidence for monolithic or competitive collapse processes is still lacking. ALMA will enable us to probe more detail of the gravitional processes.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.29 no.spc1
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• pp.119-122
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• 1996

The case for a massive black hole in the center of the Galaxy is reassessed using improved modeling techniques and observational data. A dark mass of ${\~}{\times} 10^6$ Mo is present within 0.2 pc of the Galactic center. However, the available data can be modeled, without appealing to a massive black hole, using an extended distribution of dark stellar remnants (neutron stars and stellar mass black holes) provided that the stellar initial mass function in the central parsec is deficient in stars less massive than $\~$1 Mo. Such a situation may be a natural consequence of repeated gas build-up followed by starbursts in the central region. A clear distinction between this and the massive central black hole model cannot be made using red giant tracers outside 0.2 pc due to uncertainties in the radial velocity dispersion distribution. The cluster of massive early-type emission-line stars in the central parcsec more effectively probe the mass distribution close to Sgr A $\ast$, but their small number and partial rotational support complicate mass determinations. Proper motion determinations for stars within 0.5' of Sgr A$\ast$ may be the most effective means of unambiguously determining the mass distribution in the immediate vicinity of the Galactic center.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.49.1-49.1
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• 2017

In order to investigate the origin of multiple stellar populations in the halo and bulge of the Milky Way, we have constructed chemical evolution models for the low-mass proto-Galactic subsystems such as globular clusters (GCs). Unlike previous studies, we assume that supernova blast waves undergo blowout without expelling the pre-enriched gas, while relatively slow winds of massive stars, together with the winds and ejecta from low and intermediate mass asymptotic giant branch stars, are all locally retained in these less massive systems. We first applied these models to investigate the origin of super-helium-rich red clump stars in the metal-rich bulge as recently suggested by Lee et al. (2015). We find that chemical enrichments by the winds of massive stars can naturally reproduce the required helium enhancement (dY/dZ = 6) for the second generation stars. Disruption of these "building blocks" in a hierarchical merging paradigm would have provided helium enhanced stars to the bulge field. Interestingly, we also find that the observed Na-O anticorrelation in metal-poor GCs can be reproduced, when multiple episodes of starbursts are allowed to continue in these subsystems. Specific star formation history with decreasing time intervals between the stellar generations, however, is required to obtain this result, as would be expected from the orbital evolution of these subsystems in a proto-Galaxy. The "mass budget problem" is also much alleviated by our models without ad-hoc assumptions on star formation efficiency and initial mass function.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.46.1-46.1
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• 2018

In order to investigate the origin of multiple stellar populations in the halo and bulge of the Milky Way, we have constructed chemical evolution models for the low-mass proto-Galactic subsystems such as globular clusters. Unlike previous studies, we assume that supernova blast waves undergo blowout without expelling the pre-enriched gas, while relatively slow winds of massive stars, together with the winds and ejecta from low and intermediate mass asymptotic-giant-branch stars, are all locally retained in these less massive systems. We find that the observed Na-O anti-correlations in metal-poor GCs can be reproduced when multiple episodes of starbursts are allowed to continue in these subsystems. A specific form of star formation history with decreasing time intervals between the stellar generations, however, is required to obtain this result, which is in good agreement with the parameters obtained from our stellar evolution models for the horizontal-branch. The "mass budget problem" is also much alleviated by our models without ad-hoc assumptions on star formation efficiency and initial mass function. We also applied these models to investigate the origin of super helium-rich red clump stars in the metal-rich bulge as recently suggested by Lee et al. (2015). We find that chemical enrichments by the winds of massive stars can naturally reproduce the required helium enhancement (dY/dZ = 6) for the second-generation stars. Disruption of proto-globular clusters in a hierarchical merging paradigm would have provided helium enhanced stars to the bulge field.